RUMOR HAS IT: Camp Promise Rockies Was a MAJOR Success!

July 25-29, 2022 brought us another magical week of Camp Promise, this time at our Colorado location! Campers and volunteers often appreciate the Rocky Mountain scenery, crisp altitude air, and nature-filled atmosphere surrounding their cabins at the Rocky Mountain Village property. 2022 brought all of this and more as we reunited with our Rockies family for the first time since 2019.

This year’s action-packed agenda kicked off with a traditional flag decorating and raising, where each of the cabins can design their flag to display around the campground. 2022 Rockies camp was split into orange, blue, and black cabins. Though they are friends and life-long connections, these cabins had their fair share of friendly competition, water balloon battles, and pranks throughout the week!

Many people have seen the “Minute to Win It” game show, but we promise that you haven’t seen it done like Camp Rockies! In collaboration with their counselors, campers were tasked with difficult (and often messy) challenges to complete in under one minute.

To no surprise, our campers were able to grab Froot Loops with only a spaghetti noodle, bring an Oreo from their forehead down to their mouth without using hands, name hundreds of male celebrities off the top of their head, and much more in under 60 seconds.

The orange cabin is where our youngest campers reside throughout the week, and many could not stop talking about how great it felt to be back. “2022 means that we can be back in-person doing activities with friends that we couldn’t do on the computer,” says Will (15), who is a returner from 2019. “I’m definitely looking forward to coming back next year and seeing my friends again.”

Luke (13) did not miss a day of letting out his excitement to be back at camp. He says, “It was a lot of fun to be back and it is nice to see the new Friendship Lodge. We even got to play air hockey, pool, and video games in the game room!”

The black cabin held most of our older campers, including Alex who is 28 years old. He says, “It is really good to be back. I enjoyed the zipline this week and hope to meet even more new people next year. My counselors were Jameel and Arturo who are really good people.”

Sunshine and tasty food gave everyone the energy to zipline, swim, shoot bow-and-arrows, race Mario Kart tournaments, go fishing, and exercise their imagination to the fullest. But none of these activities would have held the magic that they did without the company that we shared.

After a long-awaited opportunity, Jett Foundation’s Executive Director Eric Snyder attended his first in-person camp since being appointed in 2019. He says, “Camp Promise Rockies provided me with a very important look into the lives and challenges of individuals that Jett Foundation serves. I am grateful to have finally spent a week on the ground at camp to form relationships with some of our extended Jett Foundation family and I can’t wait to visit even more of our in-person programs.”

Ashley Kelliher started volunteering at camp in 2019 and has participated in many Jett Foundation events. She says, “The first time I volunteered as a counselor sparked a new level of personal growth and maturity within me. [This year] had additional precautions that both campers and staff had to take to ensure everyone’s safety, but it didn’t stop us from having an amazing week! The interpersonal relationships you build with the campers in just one week is extraordinary. Next year, I am looking forward to being reunited with old campers and introduced to new ones!”

From our newest campers to the seasoned veterans, we can all agree that Rockies 2022 was fulfilling, that we held on tight to every moment (and hug) throughout the week, and that we can’t wait for next year already.

In her first Camp Promise experience, Jett Foundation’s Director of Community Engagement Alexa Tinsley wore the hats of camp nurse and Chief Prank Approver. Alexa says, “Being back at summer camp was such a heartwarming experience. My first time at Camp Promise was like nothing I’ve experienced before. The energy, mentorship, and sense of community I experienced was life-changing and gave me a new perspective of the camp experience, as well as both teenagers and young adults living with neuromuscular diseases.”

Camp experiences would not be possible without our dedicated campers, volunteers, and sponsors. Thank you to Amazon, Twin Tees/Shirtworks, Snappy Clothing, Dralla Foundation, Dunkin Joy in Childhood Foundation, The Flatley Foundation, PTC Therapeutics, Sarepta Therapeutics, and Yale Appliance.

We can’t wait for more adventures and even more smiling faces to come!

Remaining 2022 Dates and Locations: